Review and test Vanderhall Venice GTS

Okay, we think we should start at the beginning here. For example with the question: what the heck is this? Well, a tricycle, officially actually a auto cycle, from the Vanderhall brand. More specifically, this is the Vanderhall Venice GTS. That sounds Dutch, but it isn’t: it comes from America, to be precise from Provo, Utah. So pronounce it like ‘Vendur Cave’ when you explain to people what you are driving now, otherwise you create false expectations.

Vanderhall Motor Works was founded by Steve Hall in 2010 and has been manufacturing vehicles with two wheels at the front and one at the rear from the outset. Indeed, just like the Can-Am Spyder, for example – but with an aluminum construction that you can sit with two people in, instead of on it. The Morgan 3 Wheeler comes closest in concept, but of course it dates from the year jug. Vanderhalls are retro-modern in design and approach. The brand has three models: the Venice (from 46,622 euros, 37,500 in Belgium), the Carmel and the Edison. The latter is in fact a full-electric Venice. Coming soon is their first four-wheeler, the Brawley, which looks like the funniest off-road toy since the Ariel Nomad.

You can buy the Vanderhall Venice GTS in the Netherlands

In Laren (NH) you will find the showroom of the official Dutch Vanderhall importer. When they emailed us, we naturally replied, “Gahhh driving?!” (Okay, a little more professional then.) And so it is that on a Dutch summer afternoon at 15 degrees and a light drizzle we roll through the Gooi and attract more attention than the latest Ferrari.

There is a Vanderhall with doors and a roof – well, more like a canopy, and you don’t get side windows either. But the Venice is, if you will, their purest model: it has nothing sheltering at all. So you climb over a modest sill, stand on the floor, lower yourself and hope it hasn’t rained before.

Simple, but bluetooth

The luxurious Vanderhall Venice GTS that we drive is decorated with soft leather and a beautiful thin wooden steering wheel. The dashboard is simplicity itself: start button, speedometer, fuel gauge, tachometer and a series of toggle switches. They operate, among other things, the bluetooth speakers, cruise control (it remains an American) and the traction control. There is heated seats and a heater that you can only regulate how hard it blows, not how hot. Two small counters show the turbo boost and the gear you’re in for convenience.

Ah yes, the technology. Astute readers may have already spotted in the photos above that the rear wheel is very, well, passive. No gimbal, no chain, no belt. Would it then? Yes, it would. The Venice is front-wheel drive. And you know what, we’re pretty happy about that for a change.

Front-wheel drive works better

From Can-Ams, we still vividly remember when cornering we often tripped in traction control, as the flat rear tire tipped over, made less road contact and lost grip. A 3 Wheeler can actually not lose more than 4 horsepower on its bicycle wheel. No, when it comes to a vehicle with the mass of three motorcycles, it is better to let go of the drive on two wheels. In addition, the Vanderhall Venice GTS has a 75/25 weight distribution, so it makes more sense on all counts.

You get a 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbo from General Motors that you could find pre-Stellantis in Opels, among other things. Stripped of air conditioning pumps and other misery, this block delivers a cheerful 196 hp. It is linked to a six-speed automatic transmission with torque converter, a choice that is cost-effective, but with which you will not win prizes in terms of dynamics. Certainly not if he also unwillingly responds to your instructions. The metal lever on the left sill begs for manual control, but however you pull or push, it takes effect seconds later. Sometimes the gearbox even takes over without being asked to do so. They might not care in the US, but here it’s going to cause popping veins on foreheads.

Fortunately, all other aspects of the Vanderhall make it an unparalleled experience. It is officially a motorcycle (in the Netherlands you can also drive with a B driving license, if you got it before January 2013), which means that it does not have to meet strict car requirements in terms of safety and emissions. But because it has three wheels and belts, you don’t have to wear a helmet. Despite the windshield, you’ll be in battle with your buckets full. Things vibrate and somewhere at the passenger’s feet the turbo hiss horribly. The exhaust is next to your elbow and blares so loud that you don’t suspect the good base of the engine for a moment.

Is it still a little hard?

The Vanderhall Venice GTS is seriously fast, and the front-wheel drive means you dare to step on the gas earlier and bolder. In minutes you’ll be piloting it like a seasoned war pilot, turning every long bend or highway ramp into a dogfight. Throw it in, feel the front bite, the rear wheel wobble at the limit of grip, one hand on the wheel, one on the poker, pull a crooked Popeye face and hold on like your life depended on it. Whatever it is. Then shove precariously between trucks, stick your head sideways over the broken line, downshift and crash past it brusquely. All this at less than 93 km/h; feels like 93,000.

Every maneuver is a bodily experience. The pushrod front suspension isn’t the tightest, so things lean and lean, and the steering is lighter than you’d expect. There is no such thing as precision or perfection, so you feel and adjust. Even with the slow machine you learn to work automatically. Just push the heavy lever three seconds before you really want to downshift. Then if the timing turns out to be just right and you take your turn as intended, it’s all the bigger win.

Changes to the Vanderhall Venice GTS

For the Netherlands, this machine will undergo a few changes. The headlights behind the grille, although bizarrely tough, are probably not allowed with us. And although red flashing lights are allowed here, they must also be visible from the side and not hide behind the body hoods. The Vanderhall Venice GTS that you will soon be able to buy by license plate, therefore, looks slightly different. But that makes no difference to the driving experience, and that’s the reason you want something like this: maximum fun, even at driving license-safe speeds. We need more of such machines.